Fr. Nate's Letter - August 11, 2024

Sadly, I was informed one of our staff members here at Queen of All Saints will be moving on. As many of you know, Mrs. Jenna Kaszycki has served as our Director of Religious Education and Youth Ministry. Of course, her departure is a loss! Our thanks go out to Jenna for the time and talent that she brought to her role here, and her hard work that was such a part of her position. Jenna, we wish you well! You will be missed! Whenever there is a departure such as this, the question immediately asked is, who will carry out those particular responsibilities? For the time being it seems only logical that Mrs. Erika Tate, our Director of Faith Formation, will carry on with what pertains to Jenna’s role in our community. Our thanks go out to them both.

Some time back Fr. Simon (who is doing well, I know many of you have asked), handed me a book about what you might say is the thought that went into the construction of our parish church. Since he handed it to me, I figured I’d do well to read it! And a particular part in the book I found striking was when it speaks of the sanctuary, it speaks of viewing the nave with the mosaic of the Blessed Mother as “the Court of the Queen, where her faithful and devoted children are seated or kneel…and the sanctuary is the throne-room where the Madonna and Divine Son reign.” It’s certainly a beautiful image to consider as we come to church each week, and it’s something I certainly think about as Mass begins and we process down the aisle towards “the throne” of our Blessed Lord. 

Sometimes, we might become so used to what we see so often, we might not stop and think about what those who have come before us intended. But I know the mosaic is something that’s striking to those who come to visit the basilica. I mention this because as you and I know, August is a significant month! Right in the center of the month, on August 15th, (this week) we have the solemnity of Our Lady’s Assumption, which is a holy day of obligation. 
I remember once that I had the sad experience of someone asking me, first, what is a holy day? And second, what is the Assumption? They knew I was Catholic, and they were Catholic, too – but somewhere along the line they forgot. I told her what we celebrate (though I didn’t go into any long explanation because we were ‘on the clock’ as we worked at the same job), but she followed up with the question that I often considered myself: why do Catholics have holy days? I suppose from an outside point of view it’s just something to drag us out to church in the middle of the week, more of a chore than a celebration. But the reason for these days is to help you and me to recall some of the beautiful mysteries of our faith in which the Lord allows us to participate. 

In regard to the Assumption of Mary, we celebrate that, as the Mother of God, she was assumed body and soul into heaven without the corruption of the tomb ever touching her body. Which for you and me, as we’ll say in the prayers on that day, is “a sure sign of hope, and comfort.” That what the Lord began in Mary, He brought to completion. And that is our prayer for us as well – that one day, we will reach heaven, body and soul. Otherwise, we know the alternative. Being that the Assumption of Mary is a cause of hope and comfort, we come to church on this day, as we so often do, to give thanks. 

And though it’s not a holy day, on the 22nd of August we celebrate the Queenship of Mary. I know this is technically not our patronal feast (I was told somewhere along the line one of the pastors decided it would be November 1st, All Saints’ Day). Nevertheless, it celebrates Mary as our Queen and our Mother. So, we come to “the court of the Queen as her devoted children…where the Madonna and Divine Son reign,” and our prayer is that our loving Mother watches over us, and keeps us close to her Son.

Wishing you all God’s blessings this week!
Keeping you in prayer, and say one for me!

-Fr. Nate